President Trump tried to backpedal remarks he made Saturday valuing the word of Vladimir Putin over the assessment of U.S. intelligence officials.

Trump said he believes Putin when he says Moscow didn’t meddle in the presidential election, adding that claims to the contrary are politically motivated “hit job(s)” that are putting lives at risk.

“He says he didn’t meddle. I asked him again. You can only ask so many times,” Trump said aboard Air Force One. “Every time he sees me, he said, ‘I didn’t do that.’ And I believe, I really believe that when he tells me that he means it.”

Trump, in a press conference in Vietnam several hours later, tried to clarify his comments in what appeared to be a stark about-face.

“I mean, give me a break – they’re political hacks,” Trump said. “You have Brennan, you have Clapper, and you have Comey. Comey’s proven now to be a liar, and he’s proven to be a leaker, so you look at that. And you have President Putin very strongly, vehemently says he had nothing to do with that.”

Meanwhile, Trump’s pick to lead the CIA, Mike Pompeo, “stands by” the intelligence community’s report that concluded Russia was involved in attempts to influence the election.

“The director stands by and has always stood by the January 2017 intelligence community assessment entitled: ‘Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent U.S. Elections.’ The intelligence assessment with regard to Russian election meddling has not changed,” a spokesman said.

Before his late-night press conference in Vietnam, Trump lashed out at his critics in a grammatically challenged tweet.

“When will all the haters and fools out there realize that having a good relationship with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing. There (sic) always playing politics – bad for our country,” the President wrote.

Trump’s comments come just two weeks after Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller unsealed a plea deal with George Papadopoulos, a former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser. Papadopoulos had repeated contacts with Russians who promised dirt on Hillary Clinton, Trump’s Democratic opponent. He also urged then-candidate Trump to meet with Putin, according to court papers.

Trump called the probe a “fake barrier” put in place by Democrats. He said that it is hurting the U.S.’ ability to have a relationship with Russia, a distraction that is jeopardizing discussions on North Korea, Ukraine and Syria and is putting lives at stake. “People will die because of it,” Trump declared.

In a bizarre twist, Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, told CNN that election meddling did not come up when the two leaders met.

The Kremlin released a statement Saturday saying that the pair reached an agreement on Syria, including de-escalation zones, a system to prevent incidents between American and Russian forces and a commitment to a peaceful solution governed by a Geneva peace process.

The two did not have a chance to discuss efforts to deescalate tensions with North Korea, but the President again sang Putin’s praises on the issue.

“Having a relationship with Russia would be a great thing, especially as it relates to North Korea,” he said. “It would take a lot of danger out of this world. It’s a dangerous time – this isn’t small stuff.”

Former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates blasted Trump’s embrace of Putin, calling it “disturbing and shamelessly unpatriotic, on Veterans Day no less.”